Phone Call
by don't think about it
Summary: Kirsten calls the family from rehab. Rating is for some vague references. Nothing offensive.
1. Sandy

"Hey," said the voice of his wife. It was the first time Sandy had heard her voice in a whole three days. He missed her. That phrase didn't even come close.

"Hi," he said softly. "How're you doing, Kirsten? Everyone treating you okay?"

"Yeah…yeah. Everything's fine. I miss you."

"I miss you, too, baby. It's good to hear your voice."

"I know. I've been wanting to hear yours too." Silence. She thought they'd gotten over their awkward period, or was that just wishful thinking?

"How's everything at home?" Horrible. Ryan's brother's dead, and Marissa was the one who shot him. Sure, they'd gotten her off—a fist fight between brothers, they were going to kill each other, and he tried to rape her, after all—but she'd been sent to rehab, too, only psychological rehab. Clearly, her old therapy hadn't work, and it was time to admit that Marissa Cooper had real scars that had never healed. But Kirsten didn't need to hear that, not right now, when she was dealing with her own problems and there was nothing she could do.

"Okay," said Sandy. "Jimmy and Julie are giving it another shot."

"They never should've broken up," said Kirsten with a wistful smile. "There's a reason they had to fly to the Dominican Republic to get such a quick divorce so she could marry my dad."

"Yeah. It's a good thing. Katelyn's coming home, too. Julie's decided that she doesn't want her far away anymore."

"Well, Marissa's going to college next year. I guess empty nest syndrome will hit Julie hard."

"What about us? Is it going to be hard living without Seth and Ryan next year?"

"We'll manage," she said, and Sandy could tell she was smiling. It was so nice to have her happy again; if only she could be near him…

"How's the clinic?" he asked again. Kirsten paused a moment.

"It's nice," she said. "But it's not home. I definitely won't miss it when I leave."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm…good. It's hard," she admitted. "I never realized how much I drank even when I thought I was sober. I probably should've done this years ago."

"Don't beat yourself up about it," Sandy admonished her. "It's okay. You're getting better. Just let me know when you're coming home, so I can get rid of all the liquor in this house."

"Don't bother, not on my account. I'm a lady of Newport Beach; I'm going to have to get used to people drinking around me."

"Yeah, but I love you more than my beer. And like you said, the boys are going away."

"Well, we don't exactly keep alcohol in the house for the boys."

"Naw, it was mostly for you. It's fine. I don't need any of it." Silence again. Kirsten wished she were with him, standing next to him, putting her arm around him, maybe kissing him, maybe…

"I got you a new wedding ring."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it's nice. Yellow gold, this time, though. It's just looks…warmer…to me. If you'd rather have platinum, I can take it back."

"No, that sounds nice. Thanks, honey."

"We could do a vow renewal when you get back, if you like."

"No…I've kind of gone off big, public parties," admitted Kirsten. "If we can just be together, do things, talk…that's good enough for me."

"Whatever you want, baby. I miss you," Sandy repeated. "I got you a new diamond, too."

"Really? What kind?"

"I'm not going to tell you," he teased. "Give you some more initiative to get better so you can come back home."

"I don't need any more initiative," she told him. "Anyway…I gotta go. I'll call you soon, okay?"

"I love you, baby."

"I love you too."


	2. Seth

**_I'd actually been thinking about doing a similar one-shot for Seth and for Ryan, and that review was just enough to make me definitely do it. Thanks for all the nice reviews!_**

"Um…hi, Mom." Seth didn't really know what to say; he and his mother had parted on awkward terms.

"Hi, honey," said Kirsten. "So…um…how's everything?" What a lame question. Since when did she and Seth have nothing to say to each other?

"It's good," he said immediately. Dad had told him that they weren't to mention Marissa and Trey, which had taken up most of his energy this summer. "Summer misses you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she, uh, she says nothing's the same without you. She's over here constantly, though, since she says I need a woman around…I should probably thank you for that."

"Seth," warned Kirsten. "I may not be home right now, but I am still your mother. Please don't tell me you're doing anything that would embarrass me."

"Okay, I won't."

"_Seth._"

"Mom, I'd like to remind you that it was you who explained to me that sex is not only natural but actually very healthy. You know, the day you scarred me for life." She flushed as she remembered the occasion.

"That was Dad and me. You and Summer…"

"Summer and I are eighteen. We're going to college in the fall, and we have been dating for more than a year. Well, on and off, but you know what I mean. And I promise you, we are being as safe as medically possible. Don't worry."

Kirsten sighed. It was true; she shouldn't worry. Her baby boy was eighteen years old, and he didn't need her protection any longer. He and Summer had been dating a long time, and he was fathoms deep in love with her, so Kirsten figured that fighting sex was fighting a losing battle. He was going away in the fall. She prayed she'd be able to see him off.

"Well, I guess you're not going to listen to me, are you?"

"Actually, I don't mind if you say 'No sex.' It could be really fun trying to figure out how to get around that…" She closed her eyes and shook her head. There was no way the man musing about "getting around that" was her little Seth Ezekiel, her baby.

"Just don't let me see it," she finally managed to say.

"Funny, I always told you and Dad the same thing…" As Seth heard his mom inhale sharply on the other end, he decided to let go.

"Don't worry about it, Mommy. I promise to be careful, and I promise not to make you think about it more than absolutely maternally necessary."

"Thank you, honey."

"So…yeah…away from that topic. How's the rehab?"

"It's rehab. It's okay. I'm glad you guys made me come here. I miss you so much, though; you have no idea."

"Yes, I do. I miss you." Kirsten sighed.

"I guess we're going to have to get used to this separation thing. Your dad and I are so proud of you for choosing Berkeley, by the way. I probably forgot to mention it what with all the…drama."

"Yeah, it's okay. And that's not separation. You're trying to tell me you're not going to take the Newport Group's private jet out to Berkeley, like, all the time to see your son?"

"We're going to try not to. You're legally an adult, Seth…you're going to eventually need to learn how to be a grown-up."

"Ryan can teach me. I'll still miss you."

"Well, you know. You're not going to live with Dad and me forever. You're going to grow up, live your own life, get married, have kids…the best of everything for my baby boy."

"That's you, Mom, always trying to put a good spin on things, even rehab. I'm not 'missing my mom;' I'm 'learning how to live day-to-day without her.'" Kirsten laughed. He was one in a million, her Seth.

"Yeah, and Mom?"

"What is it, sweetie?"

"That getting married, having kids stuff? Is it actually as great as everyone seems to think it's going to be?" She smiled. Oh, baby boy, you're never going to believe all the things that are in store for you.

"Even better. I love you, Seth."

"I love you too, Mom. Bye."

"Bye."


	3. Ryan

"Hi, yeah, um, hi, Kirsten," said Ryan. "Do you want me to find Seth, or Sandy?" She was pained by his insecurity, which even now lingered.

"No, actually, it works out better like this. I've already gotten to talk to them both. How are _you_, Ryan? How's Marissa?" Damn. She'd only spoken a few sentences, and she'd already asked two questions he couldn't answer truthfully.

"I'm good. Marissa's, well, she's…back in therapy," he finished. He couldn't completely lie to Kirsten, even for her own good.

"Why? Is everything okay with her?"

"Yeah, no, it's just that her last try at therapy? It didn't really work well. She only went a couple of times, and then there was the whole Oliver thing, and…" He let the words hang. "I talked to her for a long time last night. She's really getting better, you know? I think she's dealing with all her issues." A pause. "Sorry if you were trying to call, Kirsten, I just—I mean, she called me."

"No, no, Ryan, that's great. I'm glad Marissa has you. She's a nice girl, but she's always had issues."

"Her mother _is_ Julie Cooper."

"Hey! Julie's my mommy too," laughed Kirsten.

"Oh, and you don't have issues?" teased Ryan. He was such an enigma, she mused. So polite and reserved and painfully insecure at times, and then warm and teasing and more like the son she desperately wanted him to be at others.

"Fair enough. So you guys are holding up without me?" All these "fines" she'd gotten from her husband, from her sons, were good to hear, but it still hurt a bit to think that they didn't need her. Ryan snorted.

"If you can call it that, then yes. Sandy's all mopey, missing you. It's actually kind of a combination of annoying and endearing. I mean, it's dumb that he can't seem to function like himself without you, but it's kind of cute how much he loves you." Kirsten wondered if he were lying to make her feel better, but it felt good, anyway.

"Seth is always 'Mom would do this' or 'Mom would say that.' It's driving Summer crazy. She's been staying over a lot. Sandy always puts clean sheets in the guest room, but Kirsten? She doesn't actually use them."

"Seth told me. He said that she said he needed a woman in his life?" Ryan stifled a laugh.

"He said that he 'longing for feminine company,' and she said that if he meant he needed a mother, he was out of luck. Seth declared that it was really just the woman-ness he was missing and that Summer fulfilled the requirement." Kirsten laughed, loudly this time.

"That sounds like my Seth."

"Yeah. It's different without you. How are the doctors?"

"Nice? Well-educated?" She half-laughed. "They're okay. Dr. Nazereth—"

"Man or woman?"

"Man. Anyway, Dr. Nazereth has really been helping me. I mean…Ryan…" Kirsten wondered if she could get together the strength to say what she needed to say. "It doesn't even taste good," she confessed. "I mean, not the first sip. It never tastes good until the second sip, and it hurts, and it burns, and it…"

"Yeah," said Ryan. "I know. It's poison."

"And it's still so hard to admit it, but I just…I never thought that I was so weak as to…"

"It's okay. Everyone's got something."

"I'm sorry. I meant for this to be a light-hearted conversation, like I had with Sandy, like I had with Seth. But…"

"Really, Kirsten, it's okay."

"I'm doing better, really I am. I know that I'm…addicted…to the stuff," she said slowly. "I just hate that I am. You know, Sandy, he said he'd make sure to get rid of all the alcohol in the house before I come home? How is it that he can do that, just give it up, just like that, and I can't?"

"Everyone's got something. You're addicted to booze. Sandy's addicted to you," was Ryan's quiet response. There was silence on the other end. Ryan decided to elaborate. "He can't stop talking about you. He's always thinking about you. I mean," he said quickly, "he's okay. He's functioning; he's not hurting himself; he knows that this is right for you. He just misses you like crazy. Don't worry about him…but he misses you. He bought you new rings."

"I know. He told me," she somehow found the voice to say.

"They're beautiful. But that's not the point. He spent all of the first day you were away at the jewelry store. He bought, like, five diamond rings and made Summer and Mrs. Cooper carefully critique them."

"Not Marissa?"

"No; she was at therapy," semi-lied Ryan smoothly. "Besides, Summer and Julie Cooper? They know diamonds. Marissa's not really a jewel expert."

"And this ring has their stamp of approval?"

"Oh, yeah. You're going to love it. But Sandy promised me that I wouldn't tell you what it looks like, so…I can't." Kirsten smiled. He was so sweet.

"That's fine. It'll be a surprise when I come home." Home. She couldn't wait to come home, to see her wonderful sons, to hug their girlfriends, to feed her husband's "addiction." God, how she missed them.

"Um…Kirsten?" said Ryan nervously. "Seth's…doing something…with the BMW? And, um, no offense, but he doesn't know all that much about the car, and the hood's up—" Kirsten heard Ryan calling, "Seth, wait a second and let me help," with his hand over the mouthpiece. "Yeah. I need to go save your car. So…um…I'll see you?"

"See you." She didn't want to hang up yet.

"Ryan? I love you." Silence.

"I love you too. Feel better. Seth, don't touch that. Let me handle it…bye Kirsten."

"Bye."

**end.**


End file.
